Only the very determined can make it to the Olympic level. An uncommon level of discipline and ability are required of both rider and horse. Out of the thirteen short listed riders, half have called the Middleburg area home. The 2000 Sydney games Bronze medal winning team and Individual Gold Medal Winner, David O'Connor are all hometown folks. David and his new horse is short listed for 2004 along with Holly Hepp, Abigail Lufkin and John Williams, all of Middleburg. Stephen Bradley of Leesburg and Jan Thompson of Purcellville, also hope to make the trip to Athens this year. Upperville's Alison Firestone aboard Casanova has been named alternate for the Show Jumping Team.

With local excitement building around the Olympics, Berk Lee and Rachael Hansen of The Tack Box hosted an autograph session with these hopefuls and past Olympians, Nina Fout, Karen O'Connor, Linda Wiesman and Mara DePuy. "It's just like Survivor!" a friend exclaimed to Abigail Lufkin as she was explaining the process of becoming an Olympic participant. First you have to apply and then do well at specified competitions both nationally and internationally over the last eighteen months. Since this is about the horse and the rider, each combination is considered a single entry; the same person can be considered twice with two different horses. The Selection Committee picks 15 combinations for the Short List. That group participates in two training sessions in July, here in Middleburg and in New Jersey.

The training session, here in Middleburg, started with gallops on Wednesday, July 7th to judge fitness. Then Thursday through Saturday there were sessions with a very elite trio. The first trainer, Capt. Mark Phillips, the Chef D'Equipe to the U.S. Equestrian Team's Three-Day Event Team was a Gold Medalist on the British Olympic team in Munich in 1972. Additionally Capt. Phillips is an AHSA/USCTA National Course Advisor, greatly elevating the safety and quality on our cross-country courses. The second trainer is his wife, Sandy Phillips, a member of the U.S. Dressage Team at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 and a successful Eventing rider placing second at Great Britain's renowned Badminton event in 1981. The third trainer, George Morris, an inductee of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame and considered to be one of the most influential trainers in the history of equestrian sports, completed the training. He reminded all the riders on Saturday that "Pace is your friend." and "It is all about give and take."

Two days of veterinary examinations follow these training session after which the five member team with five alternates are chosen. These ten will travel to England for more training where the final team and one alternate will be selected to go on to Athens.

To learn more about how the events are scored and how our neighbors are doing, you can visit one of these web sites: The United States Equestrian Federation, Inc. www.usef.org; United States Eventing Association, www.eventingusa.com; or stop by David Journeyman on Madison and Federal Streets, Punkin always has the most recent, insider's knowledge!